


George Luz and Carwood Lipton’s very quiet courtship

by Elliethefroggy



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Canon Era, Homophobia is not a thing here, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 16:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18760432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elliethefroggy/pseuds/Elliethefroggy
Summary: George Luz is in Love with Carwood Lipton, that is a fact. A fact that George does not intend to do anything about. After all, there is a war going on, they don't have time for that kind of nonsense.The universe does not care about his intentions.This is the story about how Carwood Lipton and George Luz somehow make time for that kind on nonsense even whilst everything is blowing up around them and they are being shot at.





	George Luz and Carwood Lipton’s very quiet courtship

They were back in Albourne at last. Everyone was showered, clean shaven, there were fresh uniforms, plenty of good food, and enough laughter to go around. They were all just thankful they made it to the other side of D Day.  
They got to reunite with some old faces. Talbert was as good as new, Smokey still had to use crutches, and there was Lip too.

Lipton was fine, apparently. Fit as a fiddle. Except for the scar.  
You would think that he hadn’t recently been pelted with by shrapnel if it weren’t for that scar. He acted like the same old Lip. Same small smiles, same pats on the back, same quiet words. Same old calming presence.  
But it wasn’t the same old Lip. The old Lip didn’t have a scar running along his right cheek. The old Lip didn’t have the experience of being dropped into occupied France, surrounded by enemies. The old Lip didn’t almost die. 

The same could not be said for this Lip standing in the corner of some English pub, chatting away with Bull. This Lip had seen combat and had almost forfeited his life because of it. 

And that is the one thought that Luz could not seem to get out of his head. Carwood Lipton’s life could have ended in some smashed up little town in sunny Normandie after being shot at and bombarded by the enemy.  
And that thought scared Luz shitless.

It’s war. People die in wars. People have already died and will continue to die. It’s inevitable. George has accepted that.  
But what he does not accept, what he cannot wrap his head around is Lip dying. Lip, his friend, his commanding officer. The one person he knows who can brighten up a whole room with one of his discreet smiles. A man who is so calm and down to earth that, Luz is half convinced, could stop a raging bull in its charge with just a few words. 

A man who, Luz is starting to suspect, he is madly in love with. 

 

Now George would like to blame these errant thoughts on the large amount of alcohol coursing through his body, but he has always tried to be honest with himself. He’s man enough to admit that his obsession with the newly appointed First Sergeant will still be present tomorrow morning when the hangover sets in, and will continue to be present for a long time after that. 

Not that anyone should have the right to blame him for falling for his NCO. Has a more perfect man walked this Earth? Luz doubts it. Everything about him is perfect. From his soft looking hair (God, what he wouldn’t do to run his hands through that hair) down to his army regulation boots that he wears so well.  
And the dress uniform, oh Jesus Christ, the dress uniform. Now, Luz has seen Lip in France, unshowered, war paint on, dirt covering him from head to toe; That rugged, unkempt look definitely held attraction, but the uniform doesn’t do him any harm either.  
So beautiful, Lip could make a grown man weep. 

 

Luz hadn’t realized how long he sat there staring at Lip, but it was long enough for the other man to notice.  
Luz tried to push down the panic at getting caught with little success.  
Lip threw him one of trademark quiet smiles from across the room and Luz did everything in his power not to melt on the spot. Not knowing what else to do, he awkwardly raised his glass to Lip, and finally looked away, downing the rest of his beer in one go. He wished the ground would just swallow him whole, but that being unrealistic, he would settle for no one noticing the blush on his cheeks or at least blaming it on the alcohol. 

Another beer appeared in front of him and someone slid into the seat next to him. It took his eyes a little too long to focus on Lip but they did, and he felt the blush get bigger. 

“Hey, Luz, I figured you’d want a refill.” Lip said, still sporting the smile.

“Well, you haven’t been wrong yet” Luz took a drink from the offered beer, keeping his mouth busy so as not to blurt out anything along the lines of 'My god, you’re attractive' or 'Please don’t die on me'. 

“What are you doing here, sitting all on your own?” Lip got that little line on his forehead, the one he has whenever he was considering whether or not he should start worrying. And God, Luz has been spending far too much time compartmentalizing Lip’s expressions. 

“The others are off playing darts. I didn’t feel up to swindling even more smokes out of the replacements”  
Lip’s smile got a little wider, Luz gave himself an imaginary pat on the back. 

“How noble of you”

“Oh, it has nothing to do with nobility” Luz stated “I just figured that if I steal all their smokes from them now, I wouldn’t be able to take anything from them later”. 

Lip’s smile was taking over the whole of his face now. It was so big that it was pulling at the scar on his face.  
Luz couldn’t look away from that thin red line.  
All things considered, Lip could have had it a lot worse. He could still be in hospital. He could be in some shallow grave in France.  
That line on his face was nothing compared to some of the other wounds George had seen. Luz prayed that that would be the worst injury that Lip gets, but he knows that it’s unlikely. He knows that next time, it could be so much worse. 

Luz felt the smile on his face dim down to nothing.  
The frown came back onto Lipton’s face tenfold. 

“What’s wrong, George?” Lip asked. He must look pretty dire if first names are getting used. 

“Nothing, nothing at all” His voice cracked at the end. He tried to turn his gaze away from Lip’s cheek, tried to focus on something else. Against his will, his eyes came back to rest on the scar.

A small ‘oh’ came out of Lipton’s mouth. His frown lessened and his face softened. Luz wasn’t sure what he saw in Lip’s eyes, but it looked a lot like understanding.

“I’m alright Luz” He said in the softest voice Luz had ever heard coming from the man, which is saying something. 

Luz didn’t speak, a sob might have come out of him if he had tried. He refused to cry in front of his superior officer even if it was Lip. Instead, he nodded his head stiffly, feeling his eyes well up and snot clogging his nose despite his best intentions. 

Lip could probably tell that he was on the verge of tears, but was kind enough not to comment.  
He put his arm around Luz’s shoulders and pulled him closer. Luz went willingly until he was plastered against Lip’s side.

“I’m alright, I’m alright” Lip repeated, whispering into Luz’s hair.  
Luz didn’t really believe him.  
The war was still ongoing. Sure, they were no longer on the front line, but it was only a matter of time before they went back. And that meant more people dying, his friends dying.  
And now there’s an ever present mark on Lipton’s cheek to remind Luz that even Lip, amazing, wonderful Lip’s days are numbered.  
But Luz wanted to believe Lipton, if only for a little while. He wanted to live in a world where Carwood Lipton was safe from harm. Unfortunately, that wasn’t his world. 

So maybe he burrowed himself further into Lipton’s side, and maybe he rested his head on Lipton’s shoulder, and maybe he clutched Lipton’s sleeve with a death grip, hoping he never had to let go, but he was drunk, no one would hold it against him.


End file.
